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Rising Star Tara Oram Featured in New Series, The Tara Diaries on CMT

The Online Community of Fans at MyCMT Help Guide Tara to the Top
The Tara Diaries Premieres Sunday, July 20 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
TORONTO, June 25 /CNW/ - She was voted off Canadian Idol in a surprise
upset last summer but Tara Oram is not giving up. Viewers at home can follow
Tara's journey to the top in the new CMT series The Tara Diaries, premiering
Sunday, July 20 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. With the help of family, friends and
her community of fans on MyCMT, Tara is determined to make it, while balancing
life, love and stardom.
This interactive six-week series, produced in Canada by Henry Less
Productions in association with CMT, documents the Newfoundland native's
transition from Hare Bay homegirl to Nashville sensation. With every step
comes an important decision, so Tara turns to her boyfriend, Idol winner Brian
Melo, her high-flying manager Ron Kitchener, and her fanbase at MyCMT for
advice.
"For the first time, viewers will be invited to participate real-time in
an artist's career decisions. Through online polls the fans will help
determine results, like Tara's final CD cover or video treatment at the end of
each episode," said Ted Ellis, Vice President, Programming, CMT Canada. "This
unprecedented experiment will create an instant investment between fan and
star."
"The Tara Diaries is not your standard documentary about the events of a
young female country artist with a new record deal. Our goal was to flip the
standard, and show the humour that evolves from tense situations, either
through animation or scripted comedic shorts. The result is a fun series
thanks to Tara's charm and sense of humour," said Steve Cochrane, Series
Writer and Director.
With determination and the support of some of the best in the music biz,
Tara was signed to Open Road Recordings - home of such stars as Doc Walker,
Johnny Reid and The Road Hammers.
To help prepare for the premiere of The Tara Diaries, Tara is looking for
original songs for her new album and is putting the call out to fans to write,
perform and upload their submissions to CMT.ca. Tara and her management will
choose their five favourites and then turn it back to the fans to vote online
- the song with the most votes may land on Tara's first CD.
To top it all off, tonight at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT CMT30 hosted by Paul
McGuire will have the North American premiere of Tara's first-ever music video
"Fly Girl", which follows the release of the single on the radio earlier this
week.
The Tara Diaries will also have a strong Web presence with
behind-the-scenes extras and personal notes from Tara herself on CMT.ca.
CMT Canada, available in over 9.5 million homes, is Canada's source for
country music lifestyle programming. Exploring themes relevant to country
music and country music fans, the network offers an exciting mix of comedy and
dramatic series, movies and country music news, videos, concerts and specials.
CMT's Video Advantage Program, established in 2000, supports the production of
original music videos for Canadian artists. The station's website, www.cmt.ca,
is Canada's number one website dedicated to country music.
CMT is owned by Corus Entertainment, a Canadian-based media and
entertainment company. Corus is a market leader in both specialty TV and
Radio. Corus also owns Nelvana Limited, an internationally recognized producer
and distributor of children's programming and products. The Company's other
interests include music, television broadcasting and advertising services. A
publicly traded company, Corus is listed on the Toronto (CJR.NV.B) and New
York (CJR) Exchanges. Corus' website can be found at www.corusent.com.
For high-resolution images, please visit http://pressroom.corusent.com.